Shloka 17
Udyoga Parva, Adhyāya 106: Pūrva-Diśa Praśaṃsā
Praise and Primacy of the Eastern Quarter
सुहृद् भवान् मम मतः सुहृदां च मत: सुहृत् । ईप्सितेनाभिलाषेण योक्तव्यो विभवे सति
suhṛd bhavān mama mataḥ suhṛdāṃ ca mataḥ suhṛt | īpsitenābhilāṣeṇa yoktavyo vibhave sati |
नारद बोले— “गालव! तुम मेरे प्रिय सुहृद हो और मेरे सुहृदों के भी प्रिय सुहृद हो। सुहृदों का यही धर्म है कि जब उनके पास धन-वैभव और सामर्थ्य हो, तब वे उसे अपने मित्र के अभीष्ट मनोरथ और वांछित प्रयोजन की पूर्ति में लगाएँ।”
नारद उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse teaches the dharma of friendship: when one has resources and prosperity, one should actively use them to help fulfill a friend’s rightful and cherished aims. Friendship is defined not merely by affection but by practical support when capacity exists.
Nārada addresses Gālava, affirming him as a trusted friend to himself and to his circle. He then states a general principle: a friend who possesses wealth should employ it to accomplish the desired purpose of a friend—setting an ethical frame for assistance and patronage.